You Belong With Me
by macadoodles
Summary: It's the classic story. Woody's the star quarterback, Bo's his cheerleader girlfriend, and Dolly's the best friend. How can Dolly make Woody she what she sees in him? Woody/Bo/Dolly-human fic!
1. Best Friends

**I will probably write more if people like this...everything in Italics is from Taylor Swift's "You Belong With Me" which I don't own. I don't own Toy Story either! Belongs to Pixar. Enjoy! ^o^**

_"You're on the phone with your girlfriend  
She's upset, she's going off about something that you said  
__'Cause she doesn't get your humour like I do"  
_

Dolly sat on Woody's bed, cross-legged, her onyx coloured eyes watching him intently as he paced around his bedroom, arguing into his cell phone. He kept running a hand through his brown hair, mussing it up further as he got more into his conversation with his girlfriend.

"Bo, it was a harmless prank, a joke, there's no need to-" He sighed as Bo cut him off, complaining how he should be spending more time with her instead of his football friends. Dolly felt bad for her best friend, that he had to have such a snotty girl as his girlfriend. _He deserves better, _she thought.

Woody slammed his phone shut, and sat down on the nearest chair. His face fell into the palms of his hands. Dolly was quiet for a moment, listening to his agitated breathing.

"Are you..okay?" she asked cautiously, getting off the bed and kneeling down next to him. Woody lifted his face up a bit, enough for Dolly to see his shining brown eyes, filled with a flame that she couldn't describe.

"Bo, I mean, I love her, but sometimes.." Woody huffed and bent down again. Those words wrenched Dolly's heart, nearly causing her to break down crying.

"Well, I guess everyone has their faults, right?" Dolly said, trying to control her emotions. Woody gave a slight nod, and straightened up again.

"Whatever. We should be doing our Algebra homework, shouldn't we?" he joked, grabbing the book that had fallen on the floor. Dolly smiled.

"It can wait."

They spent the rest of the night talking. Dolly listened to Woody's problems, never tiring of seeing that spark in his eyes. Woody told Dolly everything, about Bo, about his school troubles, football practice, and the personal information that you're scared to tell anyone else. Dolly could tell Woody everything too, about her recent paintings, clothes she had made, parent troubles, and being editor of the newspaper, with her deadline coming up. And of course, all that information you can't tell anyone else. Most of the information, at least. Dolly could never seem to buck up the courage to tell Woody who she cared for. Woody had asked her that question, many times, but she had always grinned and skimmed over it, murmuring excuses and distracting Woody over other things.

Woody's mother, Mrs. Pride, knocked on his door. "Dolly? Your parents want you home now," she said with a smile. Woody and Dolly got off his plaid bed, and Dolly looked around Woody's room, soaking up every aspect of it, as she did before she left every time. The cloud wallpaper, plaid shirts on the floor, cowboy boots near the door, laptop hanging halfway open. Woody gave Dolly a hug.

"See you at school tomorrow," he said. Suddenly, there was a crash downstairs. Mrs. Pride was talking fast, and before they knew it, Bo had barged in Woody's bedroom. She was wearing a short white skirt and a pink blouse.

"Woody!" she gushed, pushing Dolly out of the way and throwing her arms around the boy. Woody reluctantly wrapped his arms around Bo.

"Hi, uh, Bo-" he said uncertainly. "I was just, uh, I thought you were mad at me?"

"Oh, I can't be mad at you forever! Well, I just wanted to talk to you and resolve our fight in person," Bo prattled on. Dolly stood awkwardly in the corner. Bo seemed to just notice her. "Oh, you're his friend, Donna, right?"

"Dolly," Dolly muttered, staring at her feet.

"Right. If you don't mind, could you-" Bo jabbed her head in the direction of the door, clearly meaning _go_. Dolly picked up her backpack and swung it over her shoulder.

"Guess I'll see you later, Woody," she said, not looking at his face. Dolly rushed out the door, leaving the Pride house as soon as possible. Passing the pink Mercedes that was Bo's car, Dolly grabbed her bike that lay on the grass and started off down the block. She and Woody lived on the same block, her house was a while down though...unlike Bo, who lived in the rich neighborhood far away. Dolly and Woody had grown up as childhood friends, playing in the summer and making snowmen in the winter. That kind of friendship was hard to break.

Now that they were in high school, Woody a sophomore and Dolly a freshman, they hung out in different crowds. Bo, well, it was hard to measure Dolly up to Bo. Dolly's hair, which she had kept dying purple since age 10, was unruly and difficult to tame. Her nondescript face and odd style of dressing made her strange. Her personality was likable, but Bo, was made like a porcelain doll. Perfect hair, bright blue eyes, and a skinny frame. Built like a model.

The sky darkened, and it began to rain. Dolly's eyes began to wet, and she felt water on her face.

She didn't know if it was rain or tears.


	2. Memories

**Next chapter! Glad you guys liked the first one. Special thanks to Cerulean Pen, who's been really supportive and actually mentioned me in one of her stories! Please go check her out, her Woody/Dolly ones are incredible! This chapter is for you! =D I don't own Toy Story, and you may recognize some last names in this...**

_"I'm in the room, it's a typical Tuesday night  
I'm listening to the kind of music she doesn't like  
__And she'll never know your story like I do." _

When Dolly got home, she opened the garage and dumped her bike inside. She heard her parents arguing in the living room, sighed, and trudged up the stairs to her bedroom. Her older brother, Benjamin Christopher, nicknamed Buttercup, was blasting music in his room next to hers. Dolly marched up and banged on his door with her fist. Buttercup opened the door, leaning on the frame of it casually. Unlike Dolly's unusual look, his scruffy blonde hair fell into his eyes with an elegance no amount of hairspray could master. Blue eyes peeked out at her, full of laughter and mischief. And to top it off, he was a good half a foot taller than her.

"Yes, Dollface?" Buttercup teased.

"Shut your music off, or I swear, I'll-"

"Hold your horses, and don't get in a huff. I'll do it, only because I know that you still have to finish that project for Lasseter's class. And at the rate you work and how difficult he is to please, you'll be up all night."

Dolly groaned, knowing her brother was probably right. Buttercup grinned.

"Now, if you excuse me," he said, closing the door in her face.

"BUTTERCUP!" she yelled, frustrated beyond belief. "I HATE YOU!"

"Love you too!" was the response. Dolly stormed back into her room, slamming the door and flopping down on her bed. She closed her eyes and tried to block out everything. Her screaming parents, Buttercup, Woody, Bo...

She opened her eyes. Was there any way she could prove that she was better than her? Confused, stressed, and altogether agitated, Dolly crossed her bedroom to her music player that Woody had gotten for her 13th birthday two years ago. Dolly smiled at the memory. Woody had spent nearly all of his allowance on it. His parents nearly went ballistic, until they found out who Woody had paid for with all that money. The thing was, Woody's parents loved Dolly. They actually preferred her over Bo, and Dolly suspected Bo knew that. So that was probably the reason Bo kept barging into the Pride home unannounced. Well, that and the fact that Bo loved big entrances so she could make a spectacle out of herself. Why was Dolly thinking so much about her?

Shaking her head sadly, thinking that Woody could never be hers, Dolly plugged in her iPod and scrolled to her favourite playlist. Electronic music came over the speakers, singing a soft lullaby. The music was enough to lull Dolly to sleep.

_Bo hates this band... this genre, really, _Dolly thought. There she went again! That was the problem. They were too different. Woody had clearly established the kind of girl he liked. The frilly, airhead kind. And Dolly was not going to sink that low and change for him. She didn't even think changing herself was possible.

Grudgingly, Dolly pulled her laptop from her desk and brought it to her bed, so she could sit with it. She opened up the project that was due for science. Her worst subject, with the teacher that hated her the most. Honestly, the _only_ teacher that hated her. The rest liked her. Dolly decided to multi-task and clicked on an open chat room. Her only friend currently online was a girl under the screen name of **TrixAreForKids**. Dolly grinned.

Her second best friend, Trixie Schaal, was constantly on the computer. She was some kind of geek, but a funny, popular geek. For one thing, she could figure out anything in seconds. It was incredible. Dolly had met her in the second grade, and the two girls had quickly bonded.

Dolly began to type away at her (most likely) C-grade project, when a chat came up.

**TrixAreForKids: Hey D. Evrythng ok?**

Dolly didn't know how to put her situation.

**HelloDolly: sorta**

**TrixAreForKids: Woody trubble? **

Of course she could count on Trixie to read her mind.

**HelloDolly: I was just over there...and...it didn't end well**

**TrixAreForKids: Let me guess, Bo Potts came ovr AGAIN and made u leave? **

**HelloDolly: yep. Do you think Woody rly loves her?**

Dolly didn't know how this question would end. Friends, was that all they were? She hated that word between them. She hated to hear it come from Woody's lips. She hated that she couldn't tell if he truly meant that or not.

**TrixAreForKids: You'd have to be really stupid to fall for some1 like that. And I don't think Woody is that stupid. **

Trixie may have had a point. Maybe, though, maybe it was time to confess her feelings. What was the worst that could happen? _He could reject you, _a small voice said in her head. _No, _she thought back. After everything we've been through?

There was something between the two of them, something that nobody, not even intrusive Bo, could break. Dolly stared at her corkboard on her wall, where pictures of her and Woody were pinned up. Them at the park, the pool, at her 5th birthday party, at the doctor's office when Woody broke his arm, at the shelter, helping take care of the animals there. That had been taken just this past summer. No, they were going to be friends forever, no matter what happened or didn't happen between them.

**TrixAreForKids: Hey, are you going to the Homecoming football game Friday? **

Dolly checked her calendar. It was a Tuesday, just a typical Tuesday night. The dance was on Saturday, the football game was on Friday. Woody would be playing there.

**HelloDolly: Yeah. You get a date to homecoming? **

**TrixAreForKids: maybe ;)**

**HelloDolly: Rex? **

**TrixAreForKids: You know it :D**

As much as Dolly hoped, she knew Woody would never ask her. She was happy for Trixie though, who had been crushing on Rex for a while now. As she shut the laptop, one thing however, rang clear in her mind.

_Bo will never know Woody like I do._


	3. Welcome to Pixar High

**Here's the next chapter! I know, most of it is describing, but PLEASE READ IT ALL! More familiar Toy Story characters show up in this chapter! I don't own anything, as usual. For images of Woody's, Bo's, and Buttercup's car, Linkage is on my profile. And I might as well say it: Bo lovers, you may want to leave now while you still have the chance.**

_"She wear short skirts  
__I wear t-shirts  
__She's cheer captain and I'm on the bleachers  
__Dreaming about the day when you wake up and find  
__That what you're looking for has been here the whole time"_

The next morning, Dolly awoke with a mission: to tell Woody how she truly felt. It was a daunting task, to say the least. She managed to swing herself out of bed and get dressed, in jeans and an orange t-shirt, the only colour that would go with her hair. Buttons were sewn on near the bottom of the shirt, which Dolly had proudly made herself. She may have been just a freshman, but she thought that she was already standing out amongst the crowd.

Dolly skipped down the stairs to the kitchen. Her mother sat alone, fingering a cup of coffee. Dolly knew what had occurred the previous night. It happened at least once a week, if not more. Dolly's father had run out of the house again, heading for the nearest bar to drink off the anger he felt towards Dolly's mother. Dolly ate in silence, and while Buttercup took his beat up Volkswagen to their high school, she was forced to take the bus. Apparently Buttercup needed the car to pick up his friends for school. Rubbish, Dolly knew in her head.

As she stood, waiting at the bus stop, she watched as Woody's red Ford pickup truck passed her, Bo laughing obnoxiously in the passenger seat. Woody noticed Dolly, gave her a wave and a smile, which Dolly gratefully returned. The school bus arrived a couple minutes later. Dolly ran up the gum-covered stairs and moved to the middle of the bus, where Trixie was already waiting in a seat for her. Trixie brought her nose out of the mini-laptop she had with her, and motioned for Dolly to sit with her. Dolly plopped down on the brown, uncomfortable seat, dropping her backpack on the floor. Trixie was different then most girls, with long straight brown hair and green eyes hiding behind nerdy glasses. She was tall and lanky for her age, but not athletic. While she clumsy, she had a childlike quality about her.

"Hey Doll," Trixie said. "You okay?"

"Yeah, Trix, I'm the same as usual," Dolly replied. A boy leaned over from across the aisle to join in their conversation.

"Did you know that Idina Menzel was the original Elphaba for the Tony award-winning musical _Wicked_ at the Gershwin Theatre?" the pointy haired boy asked. Dolly's eyes brightened at the appearance of another one of her friends. This was Barry Von Shush, the freshman thespian. Since before he could talk, he had been cast in local plays and musicals. He could perform any role. Wearing green pants, a collared white shirt and black boots, the little German boy was quite famous in their small town.

"Hello, Barry," Trixie remarked.

"You're going Friday to the game, right?" Barry aimed his question towards Dolly.

"'Course. I'm in the band with you, remember?" Dolly joked. Aside from her newspaper duties, Dolly also played the oboe in their marching band while Barry was a trombone...ist.

The rest of the bus trip was spent talking about school and Lasseter's horrible assignment and how terrible the cheerleaders were but how amazing the football team was. The trio left the bus together, and the first thing Dolly saw was Woody and Bo sitting under a tree with two other people, Woody's arm hanging lopsidedly over Bo's shoulder.

Timothy "Buzz" Lightyear was Woody's best friend and the starting linebacker on the football team. He was currently dating Jessica Cusack, better known as Jessie, an adorable redhead. She was captain of the volleyball team, and could often be seen wearing her uniform. Jessie liked Dolly, and although Jessie didn't hang around Dolly as much as Barry and Trixie, they were still friends.

Dolly left her friends and scuttled off to her homeroom class. Woody would be there. She slid into her seat in the back just as the bell rang. A boy with flaming red hair, a bigger shock than Jessie's hair, leaned over and whispered in Dolly's ear.

"Do you have the answers to the math homework? Please, Dolly, I'll buy you lunch or something," he begged.

"Not now, Charles," Dolly said distractedly, her gaze fixed on the brown-eyed Southern boy that had just entered the room. He was saying an excuse about being late to class.

"Dolly, how many times do I have to tell you? It's Chuckie," Charles Luckey whined.

"Chuckles, NOT. NOW," Dolly snapped, still staring at Woody. Charles noticed the direction her eyes were looking at, and grinned mischievously.

"So...crushing on the Woodster, are we?" Charles said slyly. This got Dolly's attention.

"W-what? Nope, not me, I'm his best friend, what are you talking about?" This all came out in a rush.

"C'mon, Dollface, you trust me, don't you?"

"No, not really."

"Whatever. For not spreading the rumour that you're completely in love with Woody, will you give me your math answers?" Dolly rolled her eyes. Blackmail. Of course. She dug in her bag and pulled out her notebook, handing it over to Charles, who pounced on it.

"Thanks!"

"Yeah, yeah," Dolly muttered, mostly to herself. She pulled out her special purple notebook that she kept all her short stories, songs, and drawings in. She flipped to a (mostly) blank page and began to doodle, mostly cowboy hats and flowers.

"Whatcha doing?"

The voice behind her made Dolly jump, hastily shutting her book and shoving it back into her bag. Whirling around, she found it was just Woody.

"Oh-Woody! You, uh, surprised me!" Dolly found herself stumbling over her words, her cheeks reddening quickly. Woody just put on a quirky grin.

"So, I'll see you at the dance? Are you going with anyone?" he asked curiously. If Dolly was red before, it was nothing compared to how she looked now. To hide her face, she glanced towards the floor.

"Um, no, nobody's asked me yet," she lied. In truth, Barry had asked her before, but only because the girl he asked had said no, and he was desperate. Dolly had politely turned him down, comforted him, and now Barry was going with a friend, Harry "Hamm" Ratzenberger. The two boys were arriving at the dance stag, determined to have a good time.

"Aw. I'm sure somebody great will ask you, because you're amazing, Dolly," Woody murmured so only she could hear. Dolly plucked up the courage to look up now.

"Really?" she whispered.

"Really."

_Maybe now was the time to tell him. Go on, say it Dolly._

"Woody, I have something to say," Dolly started.

"What?"

"I-I-" Suddenly, Dolly was cut off by the bell ringing. Woody glanced at his stuff laying on a desk on the other side of the classroom.

"Listen, Dolly, tell me later, okay?" he said. Sprinting away, he picked up his books and left. Dolly sighed, and fell facedown onto the desk.

"I'm hopeless," she mumbled.

"No, you're not," Charles said, poking her with her math notebook. "You're hopeFUL!" Dolly lifted up her head and gave Charles a small smile. "C'mon," he pressed,"we need to get to science."

They arrived in the science lab together, but split so they could go to their separate lab tables. Dolly was partnered up with a boy she barely knew, who went by Slink. His last name was Varney, but nobody knew his true first name. So Slink he was called.

"Hey," he grumbled. It wasn't that he was antisocial or mean, he just had a hard time making friends with his rough nature.

"Hey Slink," she replied softly. Slink's eyes seemed concerned for Dolly, mainly because he had never seen her in a mood like this one.

"You-"

"I'm fine," Dolly said, a little more stiffly than she intended. To cover up her rudeness, she busied herself with taking out her paper. Slink just shrugged, figuring it was just that time of the month and Dolly was just moody. Mr. Lasseter came around and collected their projects. He narrowed his eyes when he came to Dolly, but said nothing.

"Now class," he said sternly, once he was back in front, "this Friday we will be having a test on this unite, so you need to study hard. It's worth a lot to your grade. On a lighter note..." He clapped his hands together. "On each of your lab tables I have placed a common substance in a jar. They are all different, so it's no use cheating. Your job is to experiment on it and by the end of class, I should have a full lab write-up and what you believe your object is. Chop chop!" He sat down behind his desk, beginning to grade the projects. Mr. Lasseter was oblivious to the groaning of his students. Dolly picked up the jar that was on their table.

"Okay, our thing is purple, cool, my colour. It looks squishy, maybe it's a sponge or something? Jellyfish? I'm not really sure, but I think it looks edible. We should probably-"

"Girls talk too much," Slink blurted, instantly blushing and staring at his feet. Dolly frowned, but her lips twitched upward, as if daring to smile.

"I guess I do sometimes," Dolly said. _But Woody never seems to mind it. _She stole a glance to where he was busy scribbling down his lab with Barry.

"Grape jelly," Slink said abruptly. Dolly stared at him.

"Beg your pardon?" she asked uneasily.

"Grape jelly," Slink repeated. He pointed to the substance. "That's what it is."

Dolly's eyes widened as she realized what Slink was telling her.

"Well-uh, thanks," she mumbled, smiling up at Slink. He awkwardly grinned back. THey finished their lab quickly, and they handed it in first. Mr. Lasseter raised his eyebrows.

"And your conclusion?" he questioned the pair.

"Grape jelly," said Dolly confidently. Mr. Lasseter reviewed their notes.

"It seems like you've done everything correctly," he said. Dolly and Slink let out sighs of relief. "But-" he continued, "it was grape jam. B minus."

Dolly opened her mouth to retort, but Slink touched her arm and shook his head slightly.

"But that was totally unfair!" she told Slink when they were out of the classroom and out of Lasseter's radius. Slink nodded.

"I know. He just doesn't really like you, I guess," he muttered. "By the way, I like you over Bo." These words made Dolly think twice about snapping back at Slink again.

"Y-you do?" Dolly stuttered, completely taken aback. How could she forget? Slink was on the football team too. He would've seen her around practice a million times. Slink just nodded again, and headed off in the opposite direction to his next class. The next couple of subjects passed in a blur for Dolly. Soon it was lunchtime, and Dolly took her brown paper bag outside to sit on the tables there.

Trixie and Barry were already waiting for her. A few feet away, Charles was eating lunch with Peter Head and his girlfriend, Polly. Charles waved as Dolly sat down.

"So, I heard Lasseter gave you a hard time," Trixie said as she bit into her PB&J sandwich.

"No more than usual," Dolly replied dully, taking out an apple. She absentmindedly watched the students mill in and out of the patio area. Suddenly, a storm of cheerleaders hopped in, Bo at the head of the group.

"Everybody, this is a message to come support your Pixar Panthers at the game on Friday okay? Okay!" Bo gushed, making Dolly want to vomit. She skipped away to the shade of the trees, where three cheerleaders quickly went to work fixing her hair. Woody slid into a seat right next to Dolly, nearly making her drop her apple.

"Hey, Woody," she said.

"Hey," he croaked, rubbing his temples.

"Something up?"

"Well, I'm just really stressed out right now..." Dolly had a bright idea.

"Come to Art Club," she suggested. Woody looked up.

"What?"

"Today after school. There's Art Club in the art room. Please. It'll make you feel better," Dolly persisted. Woody smiled.

"I trust you, Dolly. So if you say it'll help, then I'll go."


	4. Splatterpaint

**Next chapter! I really like this story, I'm sure plenty of people can relate. I'm going to keep working on it, but I'm taking a weekend vacation. Here's a chapter to (hopefully) last you until the next one. It's a really fun chappie ^o^**

_"If you could see that I'm the one who understands you  
Been here all along so why can't you see  
You belong with me  
You belong with me."_

That afternoon, Dolly was fidgeting anxiously at her locker. Woody had said earlier that he'd meet her there at 2:30 precisely. It was 2:37, and Dolly was beginning to think that he had ditched her. Tears threatened to fall from her eyes, but she kept it together. As she was about to leave, she heard a skidding noise behind her. Turning on her foot, she smiled when she saw Woody sprinting towards her.

"Hey," Dolly said. Woody's face was flushed, but he did his best to keep a cocky grin on it.

"Hey, sorry. Couldn't shake Bo. She wanted to know why I would be at football practice late, and I told her about this, and some stuff went down, and...yeah." Woody trailed off, running a hand through his fluffy brown hair. Dolly maintained her cheerful demeanor, even though her insides were bursting with loathing for Bo.

"Well, let's go," she sputtered, taking Woody's hand and pulling him through the hallway. Woody couldn't conceal the happiness he felt. His mood was relaxing since he wasn't around people that pressured him all day. Dolly would never choose to do that. They arrived at the art room. Woody had only been there once, since he had never taken an art class and had only visited it briefly during his freshman orientation. Now, he took the time to suck in all the grandeur that the room truly was. He couldn't believe that he hadn't paid more attention to this place earlier. The bricks of the walls were covered with names and drawing of students, none of it disrespectful. Mobiles and ribbons hung from the ceiling, and paint nearly covered the five long desks. But what struck his attention the most was the back wall, really a floor-to-ceiling window that looked out onto the small pond on the other side of Pixar High. The day was clear, as the clouds floated slowly across the sky. The pond was reflecting sunlight back at them, as two girls dipped their bare feet into the water off of the pier. A small boy skipped stones.

"Wow," Woody breathed. Dolly sneaked a glance at him out of the corner of her eye and nodded appreciatively.

"It's nice, isn't it?" she asked.

"Wonderful," he whispered, lost in the sight. Other students were dropping their backpacks under the tables, pulling out pastels and paper, or going into the side closet to pick up old canvases. Others began covering the tables with newspaper. Their supervisor, the art teacher, walked in, and the students gave her a friendly smile and hello.

"Good afternoon, Miss Robinson," Dolly said as the teacher passed. Her long black hair was tied up in a ponytail, with paintbrushes sticking out of the end. Blue eyes sparkled with a mischief Woody recognized as his own.

"Good afternoon, Dolly. I see you've brought a friend," Miss Robinson said. She shook Woody's hand. "I don't believe we've met. In here or in class or in the hallways, even."

"Woody, ma'am. Woody Pride," Woody tumbled over his words. Miss Robinson laughed.

"None of that "ma'am" stuff here, partner. Just settle down, pull out some paint and a canvas, and let your mind free," Miss Robinson told him, turning away to talk to some of the other teenagers.

Woody stood still for a moment, before asking Dolly, "So, what should we do?" Dolly put her finger on her chin, feigning concentration.

"I know!" she cried. "Let's splatter paint."

"What?" Woody inquired, but his question wasn't answered as Dolly pulled him along again to a free table.

"Wait here," she said before sprinting away to the side closet. Woody had to laugh at the spirit his best friend had. Dolly came back with her hands full of a large white canvas, acrylic paint, and two paintbrushes. Woody stopped her so he could take some of the supplies to his table. He dumped them onto the surface.

"Now we...?"

Dolly picked up a paintbrush, poured out some purple paint onto the newspaper already on the table, and dipped her brush in the paint. Quick and whiplike, she flicked the paintbrush fast and a streak of purple appeared on the canvas. She continued this for a few minutes, and Woody thought that he would never tire of watching her paint, or write, since whenever she did those two activities, she was so focused, so relaxed, as her purple locks swung around her face...

"So you know how to do it?" Dolly placed her hands on her hips and tilted her head at Woody. Woody, having been completely distracted at Dolly technique, lied, of course.

"Um, yeah! Totally! I was just uh, wondering, can I try it now?" he asked awkwardly. Dolly nodded, and held out the other paintbrush. Woody dipped it in some yellow paint, and tried flicking it like Dolly had. A big splurge of yellow appeared, nearly drowning out all of Dolly's purple streaks.

"Oh-uh, let me try again," Woody mumbled. He whipped his brush around, and ended up hitting Dolly in the nose with some yellow paint. His eyes widened, as Dolly's mouth opened, and she reached up to touch her nose. "Dolly, oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to-" His words were cut off as he got orange paint flicked at him. It landed in his hair and on his cheek. Dolly began to giggle, sticking her brush back into the purple paint.

"Oh it's on, little lady," Woody said, accepting her unspoken challenge. Woody grabbed his brush, and the two threw paint at each other, more of it landing on their clothes and faces rather than their canvas. Dolly laughed as some of it hit Woody's nose, which she always said was too pointy for his own good. (She was kidding, of course, since she thought his nose was cute.) Woody laughed as some of his paint hit Dolly's hair, which he always said clashed with everything. (He was kidding, of course, since he would never purposely insult his best friend.)

When they had nearly run out of paint, they stopped, gasping with laughter and cooling off from the heat of their paint fight.

"Dolly, you were right," Woody croaked. Dolly took a deep breath.

"How?"

"This did make me feel better." The two shared a smile as their eyes locked, and Dolly felt her cheeks heating up.

"Woody!" They looked up as Buzz, followed by Slink, entered the art room. They didn't seem to notice the chaos of art students around them, the paint flying, the chatter, or the music that Miss Robinson had turned on sometime during their painting.

"Coach is looking for you," Buzz continued. "Hey Dolly," he added.

"Hey Buzz," she replied shyly, suddenly becoming conscious of how bad she must look, covered in paint.

"I'll be there in a sec. Dolly, thanks for bringing me here," Woody said, wrapping her in a quick hug. "I owe you one!" He left the room with his teammates. Slink turned around at the door, and gave Dolly a slight wave. Dolly did the same.

After the club ended, Dolly picked up her things and waited for Buttercup to pick her up, as he often did when she stayed after school. She sat on the curb, watching the football players run drills and the cheerleaders practicing not far off. She spotted Woody's number. Seven. He was doing Burpees with four other teammates. Dolly stared up at the sky, wishing that she could be flexible and pretty, so she could be on the cheerleading squad, or athletic and spunky, so she could be on a girls sporting team. As she was contemplating her thoughts, Buttercup's van pulled up to the curb.

"Hey Dollface, you okay? You seem a little down," Buttercup said from his position in the driver's seat. Dolly climbed into the passenger seat.

"Nothing you can do, Buttercup," she muttered. She gazed out the window, watching the landscape pass by. The sound of tires screeching brought her out of her fantasies. Her eyes snapped to the road in front of her, where a driver had just tried to cut across Buttercup. The car had knocked the front bumper of their van, and Buttercup was losing control.

"BUTTERCUP!" Dolly screamed. The Volkswagen spun into the car that had hit them, and rolled over to its side.

**Oh boy, a cliffhanger. Don't hate me, please!  
The car accident was actually just a random idea I had...just now.  
please review!  
****~mac **


	5. Lean on Me

**Sorry for the scare! Here's the next chapter. And I don't own, as usual, but I don't own "Lean on Me" by Bill Withers either.**

_"Walk in the streets with you and your worn-out jeans  
I can't help thinking this is how it ought to be  
Laughing on the park bench thinking to myself  
'Hey, isn't this easy?'"_

"Dolly...?"

A voice was calling her name. Dolly's eyelids felt like a ton of lead, and she was laying on something very comfortable.

"Oh, Dolly, please wake up. Please."

"Maybe _Evita _will wake her up..."

"I really don't think that'll help, Barry."

Dolly became aware of a hand in hers. She slowly opened her eyes to spot Trixie at her right, Barry at her left. She...was in..a bed. A hospital bed. Oh my G, she-she was in...

"THE HOSPITAL!" Dolly panicked, bolting straight up in bed. "The...the crash! Wha-" Trixie covered Dolly's mouth and pushed her back into the pillows.

"Please relax. The doctor said when you woke up not to put you under any stress. It might worsen your condition, and you could go into shock," Trixie soothed her. Barry was pale, and he was doing his best to keep calm.

"How's Buttercup?" Dolly asked worriedly.

"Your parents are in the next room over with him," Barry said, handing Dolly a cup of water. She brought it to her mouth, relieving her parched throat. Her stomach still felt nauseous though. "Woody's outside," Barry continued.

"Really?" Dolly said, nearly bursting out of her bed again. Trixie nodded.

"Yeah. He didn't want to be in here because he didn't like seeing you unconscious. I think he went down to the cafeteria for a little bit."

"So, what happened?" Dolly questioned uneasily. " I mean, I remember a little bit, Buttercup crashing, me in the seat-" Dolly groaned, falling back into the bed. Her head was aching.

Barry took a deep breath. "Here's the story, or at least, how much we were able to get from the police and your brother. Ben didn't pass out like you did, but was apparently bleeding a lot. He got out of the car, got you out of the car, and called 112. The guy who hit you stopped at the crash, and is currently at the police station. Ben called your parents and us."

Dolly moaned. Even though she had probably been asleep (sort of) for hours, she still felt tired. The hospital's florescent lights irritated her.

"What happened to us? How badly were we hurt?" Dolly croaked.

Trixie spoke up. "The doc said you have a concussion, but luckily just a simple one. He said you just passed out due to the force of your head hitting the car. You look okay, and should be discharged later tonight. He said you're fine, but he'll probably put you on some antibiotics or something." Dolly processed all this information, tracing her bracelet on her wrist that said _Anderson, Dolly E._

"And Buttercup?" she asked. Trixie and Barry exchanged concerned looks that did not go unnoticed by Dolly.

"He's broken his right leg," Trixie started nervously. Dolly let out a breath she didn't even know she was holding. "But they're worried about how much blood he lost."

Dolly's eyes filled with tears as her heart filled with worry. She buried her face in her hands. Trixie glanced at Barry, who seemed at a loss of what to do. Trixie scooted closer to Dolly and took her hand again.

"Some, times in our lives, we all have pain, we all have sorrow," Trixie sang softly.

"But, if we are wise, we know that there's, always tomorrow," Barry joined in, harmonizing with Trixie. Dolly sniffled, wiping her eyes.

"Lean on me," a new, strong voice sang. "When you're not strong, I'll be your friend, I"ll help you carry on," the voice continued. Dolly's head was still down, but she saw a person take her other hand. "For, it won't be long, 'til I'm gonna need, somebody to lean on." Dolly blinked back her tears and found herself staring into sparkling brown eyes.

"You okay, Dolly?" Woody asked. Dolly smiled.

"Better now," she sighed. "But am I allowed to leave?"

"Later," Woody said sternly. "You can get out of bed, though. Just don't wander the hospital too much. Stick to this floor." Without a second thought, Dolly leaped out of bed, putting on the slippers that were beside her. She strode out of her room into the next, where Buttercup was surrounded by their parents and various balloons. Her mother and father looked up, and stood simultaneously.

"We've been here a while. Dolly, when you get discharged, Woody will take you home," her mother said. "I'll be back to visit Ben later, okay?" Dolly nodded, giving her mother a short hug. (No pun intended) Woody, Trixie, and Barry decided to wait outside Buttercup's room so that he and Dolly could have a little sibling time. As much as they acted like they hated each other, in this situation, they knew that Dolly was worried for her brother.

Buttercup's eyes were halfway open, his body laying like a slug. His once handsome face was partially black and blue, his muscular arms filled with bandages. The right leg was bound up in a cast. Dolly pulled up a chair and sat by his side.

"With this accident, your car's gonna be beat up more than ever," she joked, taking his hand. Buttercup laughed, but immediately began coughing afterward.

"Sorry. Doctors say I shouldn't be using my throat much," Buttercup croaked. "Saving you took a lot of energy, I guess. Maybe you should lose some weight."

"Pfft. I'd rather gain some. I'm shorter than a Munchkin," Dolly said sarcastically. Buttercup just smiled this time. "I'm really sorry, Ben," Dolly whispered. Buttercup's smiled faded.

"It's not your fault," he muttered. "I'm a terrible driver. You could've gotten seriously hurt..."

"But that guy cut across you!"

"I could've recovered."

"I doubt that."

"You doubt everything."

"Please, let's not have this conversation while we're both in the hospital, we don't wanna injure each other more."

"I know. I care about you a lot, Dolly. You're my little sister. I gotta watch out for stupid boyfriends and bullies for you. It's not easy," Buttercup said. Dolly blushed a little at the boyfriend part, seeing as the only boy she wanted wasn't stupid at all, and standing right outside the door.

"Get well soon," she said, kissing his cheek. Her brother gave another lopsided grin, and closed his eyes. Dolly left the room silently. Woody, Trixie, and Barry were waiting for her back in her room.

"How is he?" Trixie asked.

"Fine," Dolly said stiffly. She climbed back into bed, pulling the covers up to her chin. She lay there for hours, her friends never leaving her side. They turned on the TV, took occasional trips to the bathroom and the cafeteria, but for the most part, didn't go. Her doctor came in at around eight o' clock. Dolly bolted up.

"Can I go?" she begged. The doctor smiled, going over the papers on his clipboard.

"Everything's in order. I'm also to understand that this young man is taking you home?" He pointed to Woody. Dolly nodded. The doctor went in the closet and handed Dolly a set of sweatpants and a nurse's scrubs.

"What are these for? Where are my clothes?" Dolly asked.

"Here are yours." The doctor handed over a plastic bag. "We've washed them, but they're still bloody. I would throw them in the washer when I get home if I were you. And here's the medication you need to take. Follow the instructions on the bottle."

"Thank you," Dolly said politely. The doctor left the room. After she had changed in the bathroom, the four friends left the hospital. In the parking lot, Woody and Dolly said their goodbyes to Trixie and Barry. Dolly hopped in Woody's pickup truck and buckled her seatbelt.

"Quite the scare today, huh?" Woody queried when they were on the road.

"Yeah," Dolly replied. She began twisting her hands.

"Want to hit the park before I bring you home?"

"Yeah!" Dolly nearly burst with excitement. The park Woody was talking about was one that Woody and Dolly had gone to since they were young children. Nowadays, though, it was covered by the foliage of the trees and barely any people went there. But the park would always hold a special place in Dolly's heart. Woody turned onto the street and parked the car. Dolly flew out and immediately ran through the forest to get to the 100% wooden playground. She jumped on one of the swings and kicked her legs in rapid sucession to get herself up in the air. She laughed into the night air, where stars twinkled brightly at her. Woody had to smile at his friend's joy at being outside. They talked and swung, finally ending up on a park bench.

"This reminds me so much of when we were kids," Dolly gasped, tired out from laughing.

"Remember that time when you punched Buzz?" Woody asked.

"Hey, he was asking for it!" Dolly protested. "He made fun of my pigtails."

As they laughed on the park bench, only one thought flew through Dolly's head.

_Hey, isn't this easy?_


	6. Don't Drink the Punch

**I know it's been a week, and I'm really sorry. I hope this extra long chapter makes it up for you though! AND CERULEAN PEN, I'm So Sorry! I know I said yesterday, but I updated this as soon as I could. again, I don't own Toy Story or "You Belong With Me". It's Pixar and Taylor Swift, the lucky ducks! :D**

_"And you've got a smile that could light up this whole town  
I haven't seen it in a while since she brought you down  
You say you're fine I know you better than that  
Hey whatcha doing with a girl like that?"_

Dolly fell asleep later that night, having fitful dreams that evolved into nightmares. Bo's cheers became screeching tires, then screaming. Dolly awoke at five o' clock, her pillow filled with sweat. Wiping her forehead, she clambered out of bed, down the creaky stairs and into her kitchen. The tiles felt cold against her bare feet as she crept silently to the cupboards. Dolly poured herself a glass of water to calm down. The car crash was probably going to haunt her forever from now on. She rolled up the right sleeve of her pyjama shirt, staring at the scar that ran from her wrist to her elbow. A constant reminder she had noticed back in the hospital when no one was watching her. Dolly's heart was aching, from the exhilaration of yesterday, to worry for Buttercup, to love for Woody.

She sat, slumped in a chair, unsure of her emotions and her life. Dolly was having a slow morning, like many most do after they find out a loved one is hurt. With a blank look in her eyes, she went about the business she did normally in the morning. It was odd, not having Buttercup there. There wasn't anyone to hog the bathroom, or tease her about her purple hair, or eat the last of her favourite cereal just to annoy her. Dolly's parents sensed the melancholy in the air and in their daughter. They decided not to speak and worsen the feelings of sadness. As Dolly sat on the bus later that morning, nothing could distract her, not Trixie's laptop with bookmarked YouTube videos, or the fact that Barry had received the lead role in the school's musical.

"I'm happy for you, Barry," Dolly had replied dully. "I'm just not in the best mood right now."

"I can see that," he said, peering over at her. "Benjamin wouldn't want you to be moping about like this."

Dolly sighed, knowing Barry was right. Buttercup would want her to be laughing and having a good time, not fussing about him.

"I guess I'm just scarred from yesterday," Dolly mumbled. Trixie shut her laptop.

"And why wouldn't you be? You're really strong to handle everything the way you have, Dolly," Trixie stated fiercely. "I mean, if this was me or Barry, we would probably not even speak to you, or start bursting into tears or something like that. You've recovered great."

Dolly half-heartedly smiled at her best friend's comments. "Thanks," she said. "I do my best to handle stress and worry. Buttercup's condition is just making me nervous. I feel like anything good or bad could happen at any moment."

"We can take you to the hospital later, how's that sound?" Barry asked. Dolly nodded vigorously.

"Then you'll relax a little?" Trixie inquired.

"Yes," Dolly said, exasperated. The bus arrived at school, and as per usual, the trio had to fight against the bustle of students to stick together. After a promise to meet the two at lunch, Dolly slipped away to her homeroom. Again, Charles whispered to her.

"I heard about the accident. Are you okay?" he asked in a worried tone. For some odd reason, even though they weren't close friends, Dolly could always depend on Charles to care about her, and be on top of things. _Well, he should be, _she thought. _He's one of my top reporters._

"I'm fine," she muttered to please him. He raised his eyebrows.

"You can't be. After an accident like that?" You're not invincible, Dolly." Dolly was currently slightly fed up with being wrong all the time.

"I'm doing the best I can!" she snapped. Charles blinked.

"I know you are. Just...just take it easy, okay?" He fell back into his seat. Dolly put her face in her hands. Her head had begun to pound again. She groaned. Peeking out through her fingers, she noticed Woody staring at her with something like pity. He turned away, not wanting to cause her any more pain right now. Unfortunately, Woody's looking away confused Dolly, and just caused her to get a bad case of heartache.

She was sluggish the entire day, her mind occupied elsewhere. Slink had to keep her motivated and focused during their lesson. Dolly apologised over and over again for her laziness.

"Don't apologise," Slink murmured while Mr. Lasseter was lecturing. "I know how you feel. Remember Ben was a good friend of my brother's before...he passed." Dolly's heart gave a twang. Of course. She had even attended the funeral, how could she have forgotten? When she was young, most likely late elementary school age, Buttercup had had a friend that used to come over all the time. Dolly couldn't remember his name, but Slink used to play nervously with her and her brother often. But one day, Slink's brother just...disappeared. Slink went to school that day in tears. Dolly had asked him what was wrong.

"Can-ker. My brother's sick with can-ker," he had said. Dolly asked her mother, and she said it was a life-threatening disease. Later that month, Slink's brother passed away. Dolly realized if anybody knew what she was going through now, it was Slink. She saw a new light in him and was warm and friendly to him the remainder of the period. Dolly had never been so happy to have someone to relate to.

Right before lunch, Dolly went to her locker on the second floor. She twirled the lock and opened up the locker to put away her morning books, and grab her afternoon stuff and lunch. She glanced at the photos held up by magnets on her door. Trixie, Jessie, and she were at the pool in their bathing suits and sunglasses. Then her and Barry at the opening night of _Les Miserables_ downtown. Finally, her favourite, four photographs taken in a booth at the fair last year of her and Woody. Their arms were draped around each other, laughing and making wacky faces. Dolly's daydream was interrupted as her locker was slammed shut.

"We need to have a talk, Grapefruit," Bo snarled. Dolly crossed her arms defiantly.

"First of all, a grapefruit isn't even purple. Second of all, I don't want to talk to you, Owlface."

"At least I'm taller than you." Dolly's face flushed with anger. Her height was a touchy subject for her, nearly everybody knew that.

"Why you-"

"Me first. Listen close, hobbit. Stay away from Woody. He's mine," Bo hissed.

"And what makes you think I'll take him away from you? We're just friends."

"Don't play stupid with me. I have a 3.5 GPA. You like him. It's obvious. The only reason I haven't told him that yet is that we've been dating for a long time and I didn't think that you would be a problem. But more and more he's ditching me for you, so I'm asking you nicely. Back. Off."

Dolly gave a huff. "Back away from me, and go re-crimp your hair in the bathroom. Right now it looks like birds live on your head."

"You're not going to get in the way, capiche?" Bo demanded. Dolly stepped forward, challenging the cheerleader.

"Try and stop me," Dolly said, every ounce of her voice dripping with loathing. With that, she flipped her hair purposely in Bo's face and left for lunch.

* * *

At their usual table, Barry and Trixie were discussing homecoming, what they were wearing, and how schoolwork was already driving them crazy.

"I seriously think our Lit teacher has it out for me," Trixie said, biting a carrot. "I mean, I wasn't even talking! What the duck?" Dolly giggled. Some of Trixie's sayings were odd, but very entertaining.

"Hey Dolly!" Woody called, leaving the jock table for theirs. Dolly looked up from the geometry homework she had been doing.

"Hey, Woody," she said, turning back to her math book. "Sorry, I forgot ot get this done yesterday."

"You were in the hospital! I'm sure they'll give you a break." Dolly tapped her pencil on the table thoughtfully.

"Well, hopefully you're right," Dolly agreed, pushing her books back into her bag. "Now, what did you need?"

"Uh, there's a pre-Homecoming party at Bo's place tonight, and I was wondering if you wanted to come with me?" Woody sounded hopeful, like a boy asking his crush to go to prom. Dolly weighed her options. She's love to go with him, even if she wasn't officially "with" him. However, it _was _Bo's house, so she was sure to run into a bunch of people she hated...but as long as she was with Woody...

"Okay. I'll go," Dolly told him. Woody broke into a smile that she missed seeing. Ever since Bo came around, Woody just wasn't the same. Dolly pulled Woody onto the bench next to her.

"Woody?" Can I ask you something?" she whispered.

"What?" was the hushed reply.

"What are you doing with Bo?" Woody leaned back a little, not expecting to hear that question from his best friend.

"She's different when she's around only me, I guess," Woody muttered uncomfortably. "I mean, she's always optimistic, always there for me, cheers me on, that kinda stuff."

But Dolly blanked out after that. Didn't Woody realise he had just listed all of the traits that she had too? He didn't have much to say about Bo, and his compliments only went so far. Dolly remembered last summer when it was her birthday, and Woody had made a list of all the characteristics that he liked in her. The list was longer than her arm, literally.

"Okay. See ya later, I suppose," Dolly mumbled. Woody blinked.

"Yeah. Pick you up at eight," Woody said, winking at her. Dolly was glad that Woody left then before he could notice the colour that had risen to her cheeks. Trixie and Barry, who had watched the entire conversation unfold, exchanged knowing looks.

"What?" Dolly said, snapping out of her daze. Trixie raised her eyebrows suggestively.

"You know what," Trixie countered. Dolly rolled her eyes and threw a carrot at her friend.

"I'm allowed to fantasize, you know."

"But when are you going to make that dream a reality?"

At this, Dolly didn't have an answer.

* * *

"Hey Buttercup," Dolly said, taking her brother's hand.

Trixie and Barry had gotten Mrs. Schaal to take them and Dolly to the hospital right after school. Dolly had spent nearly all her classes staring at the clock, watching time pass by slowly. It was painful waiting, because she had never really lost the worry that morning.

"Hey, Dollface," Buttercup breathed. It took a lot of effort for him just to speak to people. Dolly stared solemnly at the IV sticking into his arm, at the monitor beeping, keeping his heart rate, and at the bandages encompassing his muscular arms.

"I was worried about you," she said, giving Buttercup a paper cup of water. He took a sip.

"Don't be," he replied, putting the cup on the side table. "You need to go out there and have fun for me. And I promise, the minute I get out of here, I will do my best to make up the torture time you've been losing." Dolly stifled a laugh. She didn't feel this was exactly the place to be laughing. Buttercup narrowed his eyes.

"Go on. Laugh. I need to hear that. This place is so boring, I mean, a funeral parlor makes more noise than here." Dolly let out a full, clear laugh. Buttercup smiled. "That's it. So what have you been up to? Pixar High is still the same, I wager?"

"Yeah. I got invited to a party tonight," Dolly said shyly, pawing the floor with her shoes.

"That's great!" Buttercup cried.

"It's at Bo's house," Dolly added softly. Her brother frowned.

"I've seen her. She's head cheerleader, isn't she?" Dolly nodded. "There is something way too peppy and annoying about her."

"Woody's taking me."

"New information just keeps springing out of you, doesn't it? That's a good thing, though. If there's one guy I trust at the high school, it's Woody." Dolly blushed. Her brother gave her a wink.

"I know all about your little crush, or, honestly, huge crush more like. You're my sister. I'm supposed to bother you and find out everything about you and protect you, but never lie or tell on you. It's sibling love you just gotta deal with." Dolly thought she had never heard a truer speech made by her brother.

Mrs. Schaal came to pick all of them up, and she dropped Barry off at his house and Trixie and Dolly at the Andersons. The two girls immediately rushed up to Dolly's bedroom and shoved her closet door open. Trixie began to mutter about her clothes.

"Okay, we need something fabulous, but not over the top, cute, but not childish, conspicuous but at the same time inconspicuous-"

"Trixie, I just need something light and casual," Dolly said honestly. Trixie stared at her.

"This will probably be one of the biggest parties of the year, your best friend and crush is there, and it's at one of the most popular girls in the school's house. You are not going in just anything."

"Are you coming with?" Dolly asked curiously. Trixie shook her head.

"As much as I'd love to, I can't. One, I have homework, two, big parties aren't my thing, and three, I just don't like Bo. Oh, and four, I have to update my blog." Trixie gave an innocent smile and returned to digging out Dolly's closet. She settled on an orange blouse, a white skirt and sneakers, at Dolly's request. Trixie curled Dolly's hair so that it twirled down in waves to her shoulders.

"Seriously, are all of your shirts and dresses orange?" Trixie asked exasperatedly. Dolly had to grin at that comment, mostly because it was true. The sneakers she wanted was because she didn't want to be running around in high heels, even if it made her taller. Trixie said her job was done, and left, hugging Dolly and wishing her luck.

While she waited for Woody on her front porch, part of Dolly wished her best girl friend was coming with her. She would need support, even if she was a confident girl herself. Woody's red pickup pulled into her driveway and honked. She picked herself up and got into the passenger seat, loving every part of this night.

"Ready?" he asked, in his slight Southern accent that made Dolly's stomach do an involuntary flip.

"Ready," she replied. They turned on the radio and blasted pop music on the way to Bo's house. When Woody parked on her block, he turned off the engine and sat in his seat, one hand still on the wheel. He glanced over at Dolly.

"Are you cold?" he inquired. Dolly looked at her arms, quite exposed from her plain t-shirt. She noticed the goosebumps beginning to prick up on her skin.

"Yeah, sorta," she said. Woody shrugged off his football jacket and placed it over her shoulders.

"There. Although, I'll need that back tomorrow," he joked. "Oh, and make sure not to touch any drinks later." Dolly laughed, and together they got out of the car and walked down the block. Bo's house was easily the largest on the block, and colourful lights were shining through the windows, and Dolly heard distinct splashes from the pool in the backyard. Woody gave her a grin and dragged her along inside. She immediately became deaf from the music coming through the stereos. Bodies were everywhere, on the couch, standing and dancing, and Dolly quickly felt a small sense of claustrophobia. She squeezed her way through, losing Woody's hand in the process.

_Great, _she thought dully to herself. _Now, I have no idea what I should do here._

"Punch?" A boy offered to her, slurring his words as he did so. Dolly recoiled.

"No, thanks," she sputtered. To get away from this party, and maybe find Woody in the process, she climbed the stairs. She felt a sense of pride as she was wearing Woody's jacket with "Pride" emblazoned on the back. Other kids looked at her, gave her a once-over, and continued their talking. Dolly realized that she was more than invisible here.

The party was quieter upstairs, but Dolly decided to just try and find an empty room. She opened the first one and her mouth dropped open.

"Bo...?"

**annnd cut!  
Please review! it means a lot to me..  
~mac**


	7. Pool Cues

**Sorry for the other cliffe! I know I'm bad, but here's the relief. Again, I own nothing, and "You Belong With Me" (by Taylor Swift) is all in italics. Enjoy, Woodolly readers! ^o^**

_"She wears high heels, I wear sneakers  
She's cheer captain and I'm on the bleachers  
Dreaming about the day when you wake up and find  
__That what you're looking for has been here the whole time" _

Bo broke away from the snog she had been in to stare at Dolly.

"Dolly!" she cried, masking her anger with sweetness. It sickened Dolly. She pushed away Bo's open arms and checked to see if she recognized the boy. Pointed black hair, she thought his name was something like a bird's... Sparrow? No, Covey? Robin, Dolly realized. Her attention returned to Bo.

"How-how could you do this?" Dolly's voice quivered with fury. Bo's smile remained glazed on her face, but her blue eyes showed hidden weakness.

"Dolly, honey, it's alright. Woody knows he can't tie me down. Besides, how is this any different from when he runs from me to hang with you?" This was the other side of Bo, the one Dolly hated more than her mean side. The side where she acted like a caring, kind person, that was just a facade.

"Nothing happened!" Dolly near screamed. "You're cheating off possible the kindest guy in the entire _school_, and you're trying to blame me?" Robin edged towards the door.

"Look, shortstack," Bo snarled, losing her sweet tone, "if you want your reputation at Pixar to be crystal clean, I suggest you keep shut about this. You don't know what I can do to you."

"You know, the more you threaten me, the less impact it has," Dolly retorted. Robin took this time to bolt out the door.

"Whatever. All I'm saying is that if you breathe a word of this to Woody, I will tell him about your feelings, which he obviously does not... reciprocate." Dolly's face instinctively fell. _No. She's lying, you know she is. Don't believe her. She's lying, she's lying, she's lying, she's lying-_

"I don't believe you," Dolly responded uneasily. Bo smirked, realizing that she had hit a nerve.

"I'm right, no doubt about it," Bo said. Dolly stared angrily back, her mind too distracted to think of a comeback. She stormed out of the room, running down the stairs to get lost in the crowd. The music pulsated through her ears, and for once, she let her brain shut down, devoid of all thoughts, and just danced to the music. Lights flashed, and confetti landed in Dolly's hair like new fallen snow. Someone slipped their hand in hers, and Dolly found herself being pulled into somebody else's arms. She opened her eyes that she couldn't remember closing, and smiled up at the figure of Slink. More that ever over the past few days, they had really gained a great friendship that Dolly was grateful for. He knew what she was going through, and while Woody was sympathetic and all, Slink had this aura that made you trust him. He was a dependable guy. Dolly wished that she had spoken to him more earlier.

"Fancy seeing you here," Slink murmured as he and Dolly swayed to the music, both of his hands resting on her waist, her hands on his shoulders. It was nothing more than a cordial dance between friends.

"Yeah. It was all Woody's idea," Dolly informed him. "I was kinda unsure, I don't really know anybody, I'm not popular like you or Woody or Buzz-"

"You're basically friends with the entire football team," Slink argued. A small smile crept across her face.

"Really? I am?"

"Yeah. Don't you know that Woody occasionally threatens us?" He says, 'If you guys date Dolly, that's fine, but nobody breaks her heart, you hear? You break her heart... I'll break you.'" Dolly's heart fluttered.

"He says that?"

"A lot, actually. But no worries. With the amount of times you watch us practice and cheer us on, you're kind of like a little sister to the team." Dolly laughed. "Also," Slink added, leaning down so his head was nearly resting on her shoulder, "if anything... happens to Ben, I'll be there for you. Just for an honourary big brother." When Slink leaned back, he noticed tears beginning to well up in Dolly's eyes. Taking her away from the dance floor, he enveloped her in a hug. Dolly fell gladly into his tall frame. He was about Woody's height, maybe taller, but much skinner than Woody. The cowboy was half muscle, like a quarterback should be. Slink waited until most of Dolly's tears were gone to break the embrace. Dolly wiped away a few forlorn tears on her face.

"Hang in there, Dolly. It will all work out someday," Slink whispered. He slipped a piece of paper into Dolly's pocket in her skirt. After a moment's hesitation, he kissed Dolly's head, right at the roots of her purple hair. Not a minute after Slink left, Dolly was approached by Woody.

"So, you and Slink, huh?" Woody asked tentatively. Dolly blushed.

"No...not that he's not a great guy, but we are not romantically involved, if that's what you're asking." She mentally slapped herself. Didn't Slink even say she talked too much? Though, he was always painfully honest. "Sorry...um...you haven't had anything to drink, have you?"

"No, no. The punch is spiked, I saw Robin do it earlier," Woody said. Dolly felt her mind scream at the mention of Robin's name, but Woody interrupted her before she could open her mouth and tell him the truth. "Hey, I love this song. Do you want to dance?" Dolly took a couple of deep breaths to calm her pounding heart.

"Sure," she responded casually. Dolly allowed Woody to twirl her back onto the dance floor. She felt Woody's warm breathes on her hair, and for the first time, was glad that she was shorter than him. The crowd became a blur of colour.

After the song was over, Dolly and Woody went outside near the pool. Woody went to go find canned soda for them to drink, alcohol free. Dolly stood by the pool, where the music was muffled by the sliding doors. Multi-coloured lights were strung up along the fence, and few people were out near the patio. Dolly reached inside her pocket, to read what Slink had given her. His phone number. She smiled, wrapping her arms around Woody's jacket. Maybe this actually was a good idea after all.

Suddenly, hands were on her back, and the next moment Dolly was underwater, flailing like a wounded bird. She opened her mouth to scream, only to inhale water. She felt someone grabbing her hand frantically, and allowed them to pull her out. Crawling out of the pool, she gasped for air, coughing up water and shivering in the fall breezes. Dolly wiped her eyes and stood up unsteadily.

"I thought I told you to hang in there," her rescuer said. Dolly blinked away the remaining chlorine.

"Slink?" she asked. He came into focus, holding her shoulders.

"Guess my number got wet, huh?" he joked to lighten the mood. Dolly giggled, only to cough up more water. Woody came out of the house, holding two cream soda. He noticed Dolly's wet form and dashed over to her, setting the drinks on the ground.

"What happened?" he asked, his eyebrows creased with concern.

"I was standing, and then somebody-" It all came rushing back, and Dolly whirled around, scanning the pool area. But Slink had seen everything.

"Woody, Bo pushed her in the deep end," Slink answered. Rage coursed through Woody's eyes.

"How deep?" he ground out.

"About 16 feet," Slink muttered.

"BO!" Woody yelled. She strutted over from her place by the grill.

"Yes, honey?" she said, her voice as sticky as...well...honey.

"Why did you push Dolly into the pool? You know she can't take deep areas!" Woody demanded. Bo acted confused.

"Really? I had no idea," she said, feigning innocence. Dolly clenched her fists. "Maybe she should grow a little and then she's be able to take 16 feet of water."

"Bo, this is serious," Woody argued. "Dolly could've been seriously hurt." Bo frowned.

"Well, in that case, I'm sorry. Please forgive me. Now if you excuse me, I have a part to run." She flounced away. Slink noticed Dolly's white hands and unclenched them for her. Dolly gave him a weary smile.

"Thanks," she murmured. Slink grinned back, failing to see the envy in Woody's eyes. Woody cleared his throat so Dolly's attention snapped back to him.

"You sure you're okay, Dolly?" He took her hands, but she pulled away.

"I'm fine, Woody. I can take care of myself," she said, handing him his soaked jacket back. "Sorry about that, by the way."

Woody shrugged. "It's not your fault. As long as you're okay." Dolly hugged him.

"I'm okay." Slink tapped Dolly on the shoulder.

"Need me to take you home?" he offered.

"Yes, please." Woody bit his lip.

"Are you sure?" he asked. "Because your parents are probably expecting me to take you home..." He trailed off.

"Thanks, but your girlfriend most likely wants you to stay here. And I gotta talk to Slink about something anyway."

Woody stared at his feet. "Oh. Okay. See you later, Dolly." Slink took Dolly's arm and led her away, through the throng of teenagers and out onto the front yard. He opened the passenger seat door of his SUV and helped Dolly in. He got in the driver's seat and turned his key, starting on the way to Dolly's house.

"Wait, Slink. I need to tell you something," Dolly said, as they passed barely lit homes. "I actually need to tell all of Woody's friends something. Can we go to the Saturday Sundae?" Slink glanced over at her.

"It should be closed by now, but I can open it if your news is that important."

"It is. Do you have their numbers?"

"Mm-hm. My phone's in the glove compartment." Dolly grabbed Slink's mobile and texted her friends and half of the football team.

**Important: Meet at the Saturday Sundae in 15min.  
****~Dolly**

**A/N  
that's the end of this chappie! hope you liked it!  
****~mac! **


	8. Sundae Surprises

**Wow. I would just like to thank all my reviewers, every single one. You guys...are amazing. Really. I'm glad you support Woody/Dolly, I'm REALLY glad you're reading my story, and words cannot describe my gratitude. Special thanks to Cerulean Pen for advice. YOU'RE MY TOTALLY AWESOME REVIEWERS!  
********:)  
********I don't own Toy Story 1, 2, or 3 or "You Belong With Me." P.S. There's also a Glee reference in here! I don't own that either!**

_"If you could see that I'm the one who understands you  
Been here all along so why can't you see  
You belong with me  
Standing by here waiting at your back door  
__All this time how could you not know, baby  
You belong with me"_

Slink drove to the ice cream parlor and parked directly in front of the door. The Saturday Sundae was the most popular ice cream shop in town. It was privately owned by Slink's family, the Varneys. He was often working there after football practice, scooping out banana splits to the team. Needless to say, it was a popular hangout for other teenagers too. Many a meeting was held there, talking about secrets while being served waffle cones. Slink and his family lived right above the parlor, accessed by a spiral staircase near the back, "off limits" to the public.

Slink unlocked the front door and flipped on the lights. The chairs were upside down on the tables, and Dolly quickly set to work placing them right side up on the floor. She observed the parlor, which hadn't changed much since she had visited last summer. It was small, but not so that it was cramped. The walls were painted sky blue, with puffy white clouds scattered across it. The black and white checkered floor was immaculate, thanks to Mrs. Varney's cleaning. When she had finished her job, Dolly pulled out a chair and sat sideways, rubbing her temples. Slink pulled out his own chair and faced her.

"The thing you have to tell us must be really important, huh?" Slink asked. Dolly looked up, nodding slowly.

Woody's teammates and Dolly's friends arrived shortly after. First was Barry and Trixie, who had rushed over as fast as they could. Then came Buzz with his girlfriend Jessie, looking nervous and sitting at a table by themselves. Rex and Hamm followed, both of them sitting with Barry and Trixie. Rex casually put his arm over Trixie, who began reddening immediately. He took her hand and kissed her knuckles lightly. Dolly gave Trixie a wink as Charles walked through the door, with Peter and Polly, all of them anxious. Last was Ken and Barbie, who had received the message from Charles. Ken, a junior, was one of the few male cheerleaders they had. He was, as far as Dolly knew, a metrosexual, since he had been dating Barbie from the beginning of freshman year. Barbie was also on the team with her boyfriend, but Barbie was the only cheerleader Dolly liked to talk to. She was a bit of a ditz for a junior, but Dolly thought it somewhat endearing. Barbie was also the only cheerleader who didn't scowl at Dolly when she passed by.

After everyone was seated, Dolly stood and cleared her throat. The chatter died down. "Well, as you all know, I have something to say. It really couldn't wait." Dolly took a deep breath. "Bo's cheating on Woody."

There was an uproar at her words. Buzz bolted out of his chair, looking like he was about to throw something. Charles's skin paled while Rex and Hamm began to protest. Barbie began mouthing off about "equal rights" and such, (Dolly groaned at Barbie's Debate Team words erupting out of her) and Peter was swearing loudly. The rest of the group was too stunned to say anything else. Slink came up next to Dolly, silencing the crowd.

"Guys, shush-"

"My name's Shush! And let me remind you, I haven't said a word-"

"Barry, I didn't mean you."

"Oh."

"Listen, my parents are asleep upstairs. We can't wake them else I'll be in a whole lotta trouble." The furious comments subsided. Dolly didn't know what to do next.

"Any questions?" she asked hesitantly. Several hands shot into the air. "Yes, Barbie?"

"How do you know?" she demanded. Dolly sighed, smacking her palm into her forehead.

"You know that party that was at Bo's tonight?" Barbie nodded. "Well, I kinda walked in on her and Robin."

"Robin?"

"You're not serious..!"

"Guys!" Slink cried again. The teenagers became silent once more.

"Yes, Charles?"

"Why are you telling us this? Do you want us to tell him or... what?" Dolly thought about it.

"He...he should know. And if it's not too much, can I...inform him?" Dolly asked nervously. There was a murmur of assent.

"You're his best friend, you should be the one to do it," Ken assured her.

"You're sure?" Dolly clarified. A wave of yeses met her question. "How exactly am I supposed to do that?"

Nobody really had an answer for that.

"But she's right guys," Buzz said finally. "Woody has to find out, but tomorrow's the homecoming game. If we tell him now, it's sure to mess him up for tomorrow. And we're playing against Disney. They creamed us last time we played, that can't happen again."

Dolly thought about it. Was a football game really that important? _It's important to the school...and to Woody. _She stared at the faces of the football players. In all of their eyes was determination. Dolly made her decision.

"If it's so significant to you guys, how about we-well, I, tell him after the game?"

"Do you really want to spoil the win with that news?" Hamm quipped. Dolly frowned. Right, something that would crush him if they won...

"I can tell him later that night. Just, all of you, please keep this secret." The friends agreed. They all talked for a while, in short, brief conversations. As it grew later, the crowd around the Saturday Sundae dispersed, leaving only Slink, Dolly, Buzz and Jessie.

"Dolly, I want to talk to you," Jessie said, taking her away to a corner of the shop. "We need a way to keep Bo out of _your _way while you go tell Woody the truth." Dolly nodded mutely. "_All _of the truth," Jessie emphasized. Dolly scanned Jessie's knowing green eyes.

"I'll tell him when I want to Jess. Not...not now." Jessie clucked her tongue.

"You'll never know if you don't try."

"Soon, I promise. Anything else you're wondering about?"

"Yeah. I wanted to know if I could help you distract Bo."

"Sure!" Dolly blurted. Jessie grinned.

"Cool. I always thought you were nice. I'm glad Woody was hanging around you more often. Do you want to get coffee or go to the mall sometime?"

"Saturday?" Dolly offered. "Trixie and I were going already."

"Saturday." The two girls smiled at the appearance of a new friendship. Dolly watched Jessie leave with Buzz. Once they were gone, she fell headfirst onto the table.

_How did I get in this mess? _she moaned in her head.

* * *

The next Friday morning, Dolly felt like lead in her bed. Really. Her alarm clock was going off, Coldplay singing about Living the Life. Dolly turned the music down and snuggled farther into her pillows.

"Wow, even on the eve of Homecoming, you still act like a lazybone." Dolly's eyes snapped open. No. That couldn't be. She rolled over slowly, scared she was deluding herself.

"Buttercup..?" He was standing amidst all her scattered drawings on the floor, in crutches and his head still wrapped in bandages, but he was there. Cocky grin and all.

"Yeah, Sugarplum, it's me. I told you, I gotta make up on all this teasing else-" But his words were cut off as Dolly had bolted out of her bed like a bullet and knocked Buttercup to the ground. She was hugging him so tightly, a smile plastered on her face although tears of joy were slipping down her cheeks. Buttercup patted her back. "There, there, you didn't think I'd be in there forever, did you?"

Dolly sniffed. "I thought you'd never come out." She looked at his leg, still looking odd bound up in the cast.

"Aw, come on. You have more faith in me than that." Dolly laughed, which sounded halfway between a choke and a giggle. Buttercup enveloped her in a complete hug this time, and Dolly had never been so glad to feel her brother's arms wrapped around her, keeping her warm and safe. She noticed she had accidentally knocked over a purple bottle of acrylic paint.

"Uh, Buttercup?"

"Yes, my little midget?"

"You're kind of getting purple paint in your hair."

"WHAT?" He sat up straight, forcing Dolly out of his lap. Running his hands through his blonde hair, he saw the purple on his fingers. "Dolly, learn to put away your art supplies..." Dolly laughed. Buttercup narrowed his eyes. "What are you laughing about? This is terrible!"

"Well, now at least we can look like we're related."

* * *

Dolly sat in her science class, scribbling away at the test that Mr. Lasseter had promised. There was a lot of short answer questions, and an essay question at the end. Sure, Dolly loved writing, but she hated science, and knowing Mr. Lasseter, it was probably a question that they barely covered in class, or she missed that day, or some other thing like that. She tapped her pencil on the desk, feigning concentration. Dolly glanced over at Trixie, who snuck her a smile. Dolly had told her and Barry how Buttercup had returned that morning. Of course, Buttercup himself had to totally explain it to Dolly.

"See, I convinced the hospital to let me out if I came back several times a week for therapy. That and I also have surgery later today," Buttercup had informed her. Dolly blanched.

"S-surgery?"

"I'll be fine," he reassured her, but Dolly didn't believe him.

So much thought about school, and her messed up family, and WOODY, just made her mind a jumble. She couldn't focus on anything right now, let alone her science test.

"We're not peeking, are we Miss Anderson?" Mr. Lasseter said, tapping Dolly's desk impatiently. She glanced up at him.

"No, Mr. Lasseter," she answered dully, returning to her test. _I need something easy, _she begged her test mentally. Dolly turned over her test, and smiled.

* * *

Music was taking longer than usual for her, since Dolly was impatient to get to lunch. But her band conductor, Mr. Unkrich, was running the band down hard since their performance was that night. Dolly also had a small solo to deliver in the beginning of the song, and Mr. Unkrich wouldn't let up on her.

"Come on, Dolly, I know you can do better," he urged her. She played again, and he semi-frowned. "Work on it. Perfect it for tonight." Dolly groaned inwardly, feeling her temper begin to flare. _No, relax. Everything's going to be fine. You'll see Woody tonight...and tell him the truth. All of the truth._

_And then tomorrow, Homecoming. And you still don't have a date._

Lunch came, and Dolly found herself being pulled by Woody to his car. He was going to take her off-campus to eat, at a small coffee shop down the street from the school. It wasn't close enough to walk, but close enough that you could eat there and take your time and not be late to class after. She hopped in her passenger seat, glad to be there instead of Bo. Speaking of...

"Where's Bo?" Dolly asked curiously.

"With her friends. They're having a girls outing," Woody replied. They arrived at the shop, entering while a bell announced their arrival. The two approached the counter.

"What can I get you?" the cashier asked. Her nametag read Sydney.

"A grande nonfat latte for my friend and I'll have a iced mocha frappe with whipped cream and chocolate shavings," Dolly said.

"You know my coffee order?" Woody asked incredulously. Dolly smiled.

"Of course I do."

**I feel really stupid for saying this, but this was just sort of a filler chapter. It was actually difficult to write. And I have bad news. The next chapter's going to be sort of long, since it's the football game, so I need you guys to be extra-patient for me. I'll do my best to get it up in a week, maybe a week and a half. **

**~mac!**


	9. We Need a Hail Mary Pass

**I apologise for taking so long to get this out...I had a little trouble. Some writer's block, a project that I partially procrastinated for, basketball, family..stuff and fanart that I've been drawing:  
****_(I'm currently colouring a Dolly/Woody; it should be up on my Deviantart soon!)_  
So, as always, I don't own the Toy Story trilogy or Taylor Swift's song. Also included in this chapter is "Falling in Love At a Coffee Shop" by Landon Pigg (in italics in the middle) and another Taylor Swift song reference..cookies if you find it! It isn't a song she released on iTunes.  
Enjoy ^o^ **

_"I remember you driving to my house in the middle of the night  
I'm the one who makes you laugh when you know you're about to cry  
I know your favourite songs and you tell me about your dreams  
Think I know where you belong, think I know it's with me."  
_

Dolly and Woody took their meals and headed to a nearby table. Dolly had ordered a BLT, while Woody chose soup to go with his coffee. They sat across from each other, Dolly fumbling nervously with her bag.

"Sorry," she apologised. Woody waved her off.

"S'okay," he reassured her, unfolding his napkin. Dolly liked this coffee shop. It wasn't too small, but it was still cozy. Sometimes they had karaoke night or had bands play here for gigs. Now, there was a boy, maybe college age, with sandy brown hair playing his acoustic guitar. She couldn't really make out the lyrics from her seat, as the other people in the shop drowned them out. "So, how have you been?" Woody continued. "Since the party last night?" Woody seemed both anxious and nervous to get on the subject. Dolly twisted her hands in her lap, staring at her sandwich as though it would answer for her. What was she supposed to say? That she had called an emergency meeting last night where all of his friends assembled to receive the news that his girlfriend was cheating on him while today she did her best not to fail the science test? Not likely. _Wait, that's a good topic-_

"Slink got me home," Dolly began as Woody sipped his coffee absentmindedly. Her picked up his spoon and dipped it into the broth, but his eyes were still trained on her. Those brown, brown eyes, begging her to continue.

"And then," Dolly said, finding her mind becoming more and more distracted, "I had some ice cream and went to bed." It wasn't a _total _lie: she had had ice cream...at the Saturday Sundae. And Slink did get her home, just not right after they left the party. Woody was still watching her intently.

"Any nightmares?" he asked in a low voice, curious, but not overly demanding. Dolly avoided his eyes, ashamed. He knew her too well sometimes. The other day, when she dreamed of the accident, she had told Woody, and he had comforted her. Last night, however, the dream had been much, much worse than the sound of screeching tires. She had been dressed in an uncomfortable black dress and shoes. Her hair was out of their usual pigtails, instead done up in a bun at the back of her head, soft purple curls falling from it. She had wandered the building she was in until she came upon a room. It was mostly bare except for an open coffin at the far wall. Dolly's heart sank. A funeral. A boy was crying in front of the coffin, and on closer inspection, Dolly recognised Slink. She realised that she was dreaming of Slink's brother's funderal, reliving the memory in her dreams. But when she approached, to her horror, Buttercup was laying in the tomb, eyes shut, hands folded on his chest. It took everything Dolly had not to break down right there and then.

"Dolly...?"

Woody's voice snapped her out of her terrible reverie. Sometime during her daydreaming, he had moved his chair over to the side of the table so that he was closer to her. His soup lay abandoned.

"Yes," Dolly mumbled sadly. "Nightmares." So the tears slipped, fast and thick, down Dolly's cheeks. She relayed her dream to Woody, not choking up or sniffling once, just silently crying. When her tale was over, he put his arm around her and gently led her head to his shoulder.

He whispered, "Thanks for telling me, Pinky." Dolly laughed. Although she absolutely _loathed _the colour pink, Woody only called her Pinky because of a promise made in kindergarten, where they first met. When they were younger, they pinky-promised things they thought were really important, such as to never lie to each other and to be friends forever. But the promise Woody was referring to was Pinky Promise #2: Tell each other EVERYTHING! The whole list was written in crayon on Woody's corkboard in his room. When Woody called Dolly Pinky, it was a way to remember their past and stay true in the future.

"So, what about you? Party went great, I'm guessing?" Dolly asked, breaking away from Woody and taking a bite of her BLT. Woody shrugged.

"I suppose. Cops didn't show this time, so I guess that's an achievement. Drinks went sorta out of hand though. Are you okay from the whole...pool thing?" Woody queried cautiously.

"Yeah. I'm a trooper, Woody, I thought we had settled that when we watched _Star Wars_." Woody chuckled, adding more sugar to his drink. They ate in silence for a few minutes before a thought occurred to Dolly.

"Woody?"

"Hm?" Woody's mouth was full of vegetables. He swallowed it down. "Yes?"

"What's your biggest dream?" Woody gave her a puzzled look, but then again, he had to remember Pinky Promise #2. He thought for a moment before answering.

"I know it sounds stupid, but someday I want to go to Rome and make a wish at the Trevi Fountain. Rome in itself just interests me. All that history, not to mention the buildings, as the Romans had quite a way with architecture."

"I think that was Greece," Dolly pointed out. She grinned while Woody faked disbelief.

"Really? Why, I never!" he cried, raising his hands dramatically. Dolly laughed. Woody's fingers returned to his spoon. He picked at the floating celery and beans thoughtfully. "What about you?" he murmured. "What's your biggest dream?"

Dolly would have loved to say _you, _but she didn't exactly feel like it was the right time. She didn't want Woody to become a cheater too. (That is, if he felt the same way about her.) Dolly pondered the question.

"I suppose one day I would like to go skydiving," she replied in a dreamy tone. "Maybe visit London, or make a movie for a film festival..." She trailed off.

"Is there anything else we don't know about each other?" Woody wondered aloud. "I think 12 years of friendship goes a long way." Dolly gazed at him, nearly pleading him to see how she had always been there for him. _Woody's not that stupid, _Trixie had said. _Not stupid, but a bit clueless, _Dolly thought.

"I think we know everything that we need to know," Dolly said uneasily. She didn't really know how to put her thoughts. They swam around in her brain, causing confusion and doubt. But her words weren't necessarily untrue, for she did think she knew mostly everything about Woody. His favourite colour was green. He had his father's eyes. Born on the seventeenth of June, he could play guitar but didn't like to tell anyone. His favourite song was Life in Technicolor by Coldplay; he said it relaxed him. In turn, Woody knew all of that information about her.

"We should be getting back," Woody said after checking his watch. Dolly nodded and finished the last of her sandwich.

As they were leaving the coffee shop, most of the crowd had already cleared out, and Dolly managed to catch some of the lyrics of the guitarist.

_"I never knew, just what it was, about this old coffee shop I love so much  
All of the while, I never knew...  
All of the while...all of the while...  
It was you."_

_

* * *

_

"Psst. Dolly."

Trixie was trying to get her attention with small paper balls. Dolly was nearly falling asleep in their literature class. She didn't have anything really against the subject, just the things they read. Her and Trixie sat in the back, and that was useful for conversing about important matters. But this was also the class where they were busted a lot for talking. Especially Miss TrixAreForKids.

Dolly awoke from the stupor she was in, thanks to Mrs. Hunt's droning. "Yes, Trixie?" she mumbled, making sure to scribble down a note or two so it looked like she was listening.

"How'd your date with Woody go?" giggled Trixie. Dolly rolled her eyes.

"I'm not even going to correct that question. We didn't talk about much." Trixie raised her eyebrows. Dolly held up her hands defensively. "Honest!" Trixie gave a hmph.

"I'll take your words for it. Did you tell him about you-know-who?"

"Trixie, Woody's read Harry Potter, he knows You-Know-Who's Voldemort-"

"Dolly! Really! You know what I meant," Trixie scolded.

"C'mon, Trix, you love my sarcasm." Trixie gave her a pointed look. Dolly frowned. "Fine. Either somebody's in a bad mood or it's Aunt Flo-"

"Hey!"

"Anyways, no, I didn't tell him. Actually, I was hoping tonight, after the game."

"Are you crazy?"

"I prefer anti-sane-"

"Dolly! Trixie! Care to share your conversation with the rest of the class?" snapped Mrs. Hunt. Dolly looked down sheepishly, away from the pairs of eyes that flooded their way. Trixie, however, stared fearlessly at their teacher.

"I'd rather not," said Trixie, as nonchalantly as she possibly could. She received a glare in return.

"Want to speak after school?" It was more of a statement than a question. Trixie sunk in her seat. She had already gotten in trouble twice this week. Her parents would not be happy if they got a third call from the school.

"No, ma'am," Trixie ground out, every inch of her voice dripping with dislike. When Mrs. Hunt had turned away, the two resumed their conversation, but Dolly picked a different topic.

"Are you going tonight?" Dolly asked.

"Of course," Trixie answered. "Rex wants to see me...but I'm going to be cheering in the stands."

"Not marching like a dork on the field," Dolly grumbled. Trixie gave her a small smile.

"I believe the term is 'band geek,'" she whispered.

Dolly did her best to stifle her laughter.

* * *

On the bus ride home, the game and the dance were all that everybody was talking about. It was sort of annoying Dolly. Hearing most of the girls squealing and all fluttery about their dresses and dates and how they were all going to marry their boyfriends someday made her feel...nauseous.

Or maybe that was the sensation of being left out.

Whatever the emotion, Dolly couldn't help overhearing the conversations in the back of the bus. (That, and the people were obnoxiously loud.)

"So, who do you think's gonna be Homecoming Queen?" one girl asked.

"Bo, of course!" another one gushed. Dolly felt her fists beginning to tighten. "Well, her and Woody are shoo-ins, that's for sure," the girl continued.

Dolly scooted closer to Trixie, hoping a YouTube video would help distract her from the pain she was feeling in her chest. At her stop, she hastily said a goodbye before rushing off, eager to run home, away from the pressure known as high school. Though when she pushed open the door, it was clear that she hadn't escaped from stress, just ran into more.

Her mother was sitting in the living room, staring blankly ahead. Dolly quietly shut the door behind her.

"Mom?" she said softly, clutching her backpack strap tightly. "Is-is something wrong?" Dolly's mother put her face into her hands.

"Ben is recovering; he should be home later," she said finally. Dolly let out a breath that she didn't even know she was holding. But she sensed that there was more. There was always more. Her mother lifted her head, and Dolly stared into the blue eyes that Buttercup had inherited.

Her mother began,"Your father and I-" Big breath. "-have decided-" Slightly smaller breath. "-we should be apart. For the better." There. It was out. Dolly had finally heard the words from her mother's lips. She didn't really know what to feel. Part of her was expecting it, and it didn't come as a big shock, but still...her own father, just gone from the family? Dolly couldn't figure out when things had gone so wrong. This was the same man who used to always take her and Buttercup ice-skating in the winter, to fish (even though Dolly hated it) in the summer. Now, however, he ran out to get away from her mother, his wife, his family, nearly every night. He exchanged them for booze. Dolly felt anger, but she knew she couldn't completely hate her father. It wasn't in her blood to loathe someone so (except for Bo, but that would end the minute she graduated.) This was all better for Dolly's mother though, and her daugther knew it. Dolly was sick and tired of having high hopes knocked down, of seeing her mother, weary beyond her years, sitting alone at the kitchen table.

"Will Butterc-Ben, and I be...separated?" Dolly choked out. It was something she had been dreading ever since the idea of divorce seemed realistic. She didn't think she could survive without Buttercup there; he made her day happy when she was sad, he constantly got Band-Aids for her whenever she scraped her knee, he threatened every bully who ever barely hurt her. Granted, he also threatened every boy who made a pass at her, since her own father wasn't really around to do it often.

"No-no. We couldn't. Your father will pay for your support, he says he can't see you. He wants to, but he knows in the back of his head, he can't." Dolly sat with wobbly legs on her uncomfortable black leather couch, gripping a pillow to her chest.

"So we don't have to move?" Dolly's mother gave her a weak smile.

"No, honey. We don't. Now go on, don't you have a game tonight? I asked Mrs. Schaal to drive you there, I'm really not up to it today sweet pea." Dolly nodded, understanding completely.

"Sure, I'll just be in my room." She grabbed her things and raced up the stairs, but it wasn't until she was in her room did she let the tears actually fall. Her bedroom became a blur, as she wiped her eyes impatiently. This would take some getting-used to, but she knew that she hadn't lost her father forever. Just until he got better. _Hopefully he'll get better,_ she thought. Dolly strode over to her closet and opened the door, taking out her wrapped-in-plastic band uniform. They weren't really the greatest thing to wear, honestly: dark blue suspenders that went up to her chest and a tacky hat with an awful feather on top. She laid it out on her bed and went over to her desk and propped open her laptop. Logging into her video chat, she noticed Trixie, Slink, and Barry were online out of all of her friends. She clicked on Trixie and her face appeared.

"Hey girl!" Trixie cried, her headphones in her ears and her fingers typing wildly. "Hold on a sec, I'm on the final battle of Level 33 and I just need to defeat this guy-"

"Trixie!"

"What?"

"Rex has the cheat codes."

"HE DOES?" Dolly smirked.

"Yeah, Slink told me yesterday Rex is on Level 37."

"You're kidding me. Gotta go, see ya tonight!" Trixie said, her voice nearly reaching it's highest pitch. Dolly laughed at her friend and instead clicked on Barry's name. His spiky brown hair was ressiting to being flattened. Barry groaned in protest.

"Hey Dolly," he moaned. Dolly giggled.

"Having trouble?"

"Yes! You're not in your band uniform yet," Barry pointed out. Dolly motioned behind her on her bed.

"See my totally awesome uniform? Really, they should have Barbie re-style these or something," Dolly said. "At least she'd make them eye appealing." Barry nodded, although his focus was still on his untamable hairstyle. "Is Mrs. Schaal picking you up too?" Dolly asked.

"Nope, I'm catching a ride with Rex and Hamm. Should be fun, as long as they're not blasting rap music the entire ride, I'm not sure if I'll be able to take it." Dolly smiled.

"Well, I don't think they'll be able to take it if you bring your _Rent _soundtrack along with you," she joked. Barry furrowed his eyebrows.

"For your information, I was planning on taking _Moulin Rouge_," he replied haughtily.

"I'll see you tonight, okay Barry?" Dolly told him. Barry ran his hands through his hair in a desperate attempt.

"Yeah, I'll see you later. Good luck on the solo!" he called, and logged off. Dolly shut her own computer and stared at the wood of her desk, deep in thought. Right after the game, Jessie would distract Bo from interrupting her and Woody's conversation, and then Dolly would break the news to him. It couldn't be too hard, could it?

* * *

"Dolly! Mrs. Schaal's here!"

"Okay, be right down!" Dolly replied, fixing her hat for one last time before grabbing her oboe and nearly tripping down the stairs. Her mother fixed her band jacket , smoothing out the last of the wrinkles.

"There's my girl. Go out and nail it," she said with all the pride she could muster. Dolly was pulled into a hug which she gratefully returned.

"I love you, Mom," she murmured. Her mother kissed her cheek.

"I love you too, sweet pea. Tell Mrs. Schaal I said thanks!" Dolly mother cried out the last sentence, as Dolly had already bounded out the door and into the mini-van that was the Schaal's vehicle. She climbed in the back with Trixie.

"Excited?" Dolly asked her friend. As always, her nose was in her portable laptop, but she didn't seem too preoccuppied. Trixie looked up.

"Really excited. I even made a sign for Rex." She pointed in the back where a sheet of green posterboard was sitting. "I'm live blogging the entire event; my followers need to know what's going on. And if I see anything funny or worth of posting..."

"Trixie..." Dolly teased her. "Honestly, Rex is perfect for you. You both are nerds in a good way that spend so much time on the computer it's like your child." Trixie blushed. Dolly continued on her ramble, "I mean, if that egg in Home Economics was exchanged for a laptop, I'm sure you wouldn't have broken it."

"Hey! I have laptop cases. You know how many cases they make for eggs? None." Dolly laughed. Mrs. Schaal's radio was turned up, and Trixie and Dolly sang along to the lyrics the whole way to Pixar.

When they got out of the car, Dolly thanked Mrs. Schaal for the ride and took off towards the area where the band stayed to warm up on the field. As she set up her oboe, Barry walked towards her, his trombone slung over his shoulder.

"Hey, Dolly," he said. Dolly stuck her reed into her mouth.

"Hey," she mumbled. Barry patted her back encouragingly.

"You'll do great," he assured her. "With everything tonight." Dolly was nervous beyond belief. Really, her stomach was doing triple backflips. As the stands slowly filled with the crowd, the band assembled into position. The emcee announced their song, and they marched onto the field, Dolly aware of every eye on them, including Bo's condescending ones.

_Focus, _she told herself. The drum majors stood at the edge of the field and raised their arms. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Woody giving her a thumbs up. Her heart filled with what could only be described as happiness. She played her part perfectly. Woody couldn't help but smile at his best friend who would always have a special place in his heart.

When the band finished, the crowd cheered, and then failed at doing the Wave. Dolly felt a sense of confidence and and marched off with the rest of her teammates. She packed up her oboe for now and left to go find Trixie so they could watch the game. Dolly spotted the giant green sign and climbed up the bleachers.

"You did great!" Trixie said, noticing Dolly coming up the steps. Dolly thanked her and stood, rubbing her arms to keep warm.

"And here we go with the punt!" the announcer narrated. Dolly screamed herself hoarse alongside Trixie, yelling for Woody and Rex and all of the team. Dolly had to scowl at Bo's cheering on the sidelines. Bo had tried to do a flip, but ended up not locking her arms and falling. Dolly snickered, but stop when she saw that Woody was truly distracted by Bo's injury. He missed the snap.

The crowd groaned, and the clock beeped, sending them into halftime. Dolly left to go buy something at the concessions stand before she was back on the field for the halftime show.

"Charles?" she asked when she noticed the cashier had familiar flaming red hair. He looked up from wrapping a hot dog.

"Hey Dolly," he replied, handing the meal to the customer before her. "What can I get you?"

"What are you doing working here?" she asked curiously. He shrugged.

"I think it counts as community service, and I need something that'll look good on my college application. Anyways, what do you want?"

"Just some chips, please."

"Candy okay? You're gonna need some sugar if you plan on doing you-know-what tonight."

"Word gets around too fast around here. Just...give me some Skittles or something, please," Dolly sighed. Charles gave her a bag.

"1.87 pounds, please." Dolly handed over the money before ripping open the candy and pouring a rainbow into her hand. She noticed Woody looking distressed by the sidelines. She went over to him.

"Hey, you okay?" she queried. He was running his hands through his hair, which he only really ever did when he was nervous. His brown eyes caught hers, and he sighed.

"No, Dolly, we aren't doing well, and Coach says I have to get my head in the game, and I'm just not really focused right now, and-" But his words were cut off as Dolly stood on her tiptoes and gave him a kiss on the cheek. She didn't know what made her do it, just something in her told her that Woody needed encouragement, and that was how she should do it. Woody stared at Dolly, dumbstruck.

"You'll do amazing," Dolly stated firmly. Woody reached up and touched his cheek.

"Yeah..." He seemed dazed. "T-thanks Dolly," he spluttered. Dolly smiled and turned on her heel to go get her band gear.

* * *

It was the fourth quarter, 10 seconds to go and they were trailing behind by five points. If they just got a touchdown, they would win against Disney for the first time in forever. Dolly was nearly biting her nails, as Barry rocked back and forth beside her, and Trixie was yelling plays and advice to their team. Dolly touched her button necklace that she constantly wore nervously.

_Come on, Woody, _she thought in hope. On the field, Dolly could've sworn she saw his head turn in her direction. Then he shouted "Hike!" and threw the ball down field. The crowd rose in a giant wave to see the receiver run into the touchdown zone and catch the ball.

Chaos.

The noise level was deafening, as Dolly was overtaken in a hug by both Trixie and Barry, and their smiles were plastered on their faces. Trixie was screaming, holding up Rex's sign with pride. Dolly ran out of the bleachers to see Woody being lifted up into the air by his teammates. They caught eyes and Woody grinned, dismounting his friends' shoulders to pull her into a hug. His jersey was all sweaty, but at that moment, Dolly didn't care. She looked behind her though, past Woody's arms to see Bo in a deep kiss with Robin. Her eyes widened. Woody broke the embrace and made to turn around.

"Woody, don't-"

But it was too late. He had already spotted Bo and Robin, and his eyes-his loving, brown eyes-were enflamed with anger. Everything else didn't seem to matter to him. The noise of the crowd became silent to Dolly's ears, and it was like a spotlight was on the scene. Dolly noticed Woody was thisclose to breaking down, his hurt secretly disguised. He marched up to Bo as she broke away from Robin.

"Woody, I can explain-" she started, but Woody pushed her away.

"How-how could you?" he growled, in a tone that made Dolly scared. "How could you?" Woody stormed off the field, where Bo looked helplessly after him.

Dolly was pretty sure no one else spotted Woody raise his arm and wipe his eyes. She remembered that night when she was in the hospital.

_"For, it won't be long, 'til I'm gonna need, somebody to lean on."_

**please review!  
thanks for being so patient, but the next chapter will be the last. :(  
****I'd like to thank dmwcool1, who wants to draw fanart for my story "News" and that's totally awesome!  
Cerulean Pen, who is always supportive of me :)  
And mochabelle33, for pointing out I accidentally paired Owen C. with Luna. **

**Lastly, all my reviewers, who support Woody/Dolly, who've been with my story since the beginning or have just begun reading it. After all, being a fan isn't being there since the beginning; it's about staying there 'til the end. **

**~mac! **


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